A new study by Alaska-based Northern Economics shows that the state’s seafood industry is not only a national but also a global juggernaut in sustainable commercial fisheries. The seafood industry’s local and statewide impact is huge: the fisheries in Alaskan and federal waters off the state’s coast provide work to more than 80,800 people and yield more than USD 3.3 billion in wholesale value every year.

Alaska fisheries. (Photo:PSPA)

The Marine Conservation Alliance- (MCA) funded study -- “Seafood Industry in Alaska’s Economy” -- constitutes an update of the 2009 report by the same name and is available online on the MCA website.

“The seafood industry operates in dozens of communities along Alaska’s entire coastline,” remarked MCA President Frank Kelty. “We create family-wage jobs where no other opportunities exist, and we bring significant new money into the state.”

This year’s executive summary update informed that Alaska ranked first of all 50 states in both volume and value of commercial fisheries landings in 2009 with 1.84 million tonnes worth USD 1.3 billion. The nationwide harvest volume was 3.6 million tonnes, informed the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

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